SKU: GI.G-9082
Edited by Jody Kerchner.
Music Education. Choir
part. 350 pages. GIA
Publications #9082.
Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-9082).
ISBN 9781622771752.
English.
Contributo
rs:Â Sandra Babb,
Bronwen Fox, Talia
Greenberg, Stuart Chapman
Hill, Tara Sievers-Hunt,
Michele Kaschub, Mary
Copland, Kennedy Chi-hin
Leung, Tom Lopez, Wendy
Northrup, Stephen A.
Paparo, Sarah Price,
Carlos
Xavier Rodriguez,
Julia Shaw, Philip
Silvey, Janice Smith,
Brent C. Talbot, Raymond
Wise, Paulina Wai-Ying
Wong. Â By seeking to
open the act of composing
to students of all ages,
colors, classes, and
backgrounds, Strand and
Kerchner seek to
demystify the act of
composition itself. . .
. The chorus is the
ideal place to affect
this kind of change.
—Dominick DiOrio
  From the
Foreword Musicianship:
Composing in Choir is a
pioneering and practical
answer to one of the
great music education
mysteries: how to
effectively bring music
composition to the choir
room at all levels, in
alignment with the
National Core Arts
Standards. Written and
edited by Jody Kerchner
and Katherine Strand
together with a team of
18 nationally recognized
teachers, researchers,
and musicians, this book
is truly a landmark
publication. Central to
this book are engaging
project-based activities
for individuals, small
groups, and full
ensembles. The
authors’ goal is
to provide singers with
exciting new tools for
exploring music. By
promoting comprehensive
choral musicianship,
teachers will celebrate
their students’
creativity, and their
own. Section 1,
Principles and
Foundations, provides a
rationale for the
critical importance of
including composition in
the choral classroom,
pedagogical principles
upon which to base
composition activities,
and practical examples
that can be taken
directly from the page
into the classroom.
Section 2, Looking in on
Composing in Choir,
shares the latest the
latest in practices and
research related to
teaching arranging and
composing at a variety of
levels and choral styles,
with practical ideas
suitable for a wide range
of choral programs,
student ages, ability
levels, and interests.
Section 3, Composition
Projects for Choir,
includes lesson plans
with goals, outcomes, and
procedures for
page-to-classroom
activities. Examples
include composing
ostinatos, rounds,
partner songs, and songs
over a bass line, lessons
on arranging, leveraging
technology, and using
composition to teach
sight singing. These
lessons are a gold mine
of ideas for choral
educators and students
alike. Every lesson has
been
“test-drivenâ€
with diverse student
populations. Ultimately,
Kerchner, Strand, and
their team show that
composing and arranging
are not superhuman gifts,
activities, or
experiences that need to
occur in solitude:
Creativity and
composition should be for
everyone. With
Musicianship: Composing
in Choir, teachers and
their students have
access to tools and ideas
that have the potential
to transform their music
making. Jody L. Kerchner
is Professor & Director
of Music Education at the
Oberlin Conservatory of
Music, where she is the
secondary-school music
and choral music
education specialist. She
is also founder and
conductor of the Oberlin
College Women’s
Chorale and the Oberlin
Music at Grafton Prison
Choir. Her research
interests include music
listening, choral
pedagogy, reflective
praxis, empathetic
leadership, and music
teacher preparation.
Katherine Strand is
Associate Professor of
Music and Chair of the
Music Education
Department in the Jacobs
School of Music at
Indiana University, where
she teaches classes in
participatory music
practices, curriculum,
and qualitative research
methods. She taught
K–12 choral and
general music in rural
and urban settings and
served as choral director
for the Virginia
Governor’s School
for the Visual and
Performing Arts and
Humanities. Her research
interests include
teaching for creativity,
multicultural music
pedagogy, and curriculum.
Clint Randles, Series
Editor, is Assistant
Professor and Coordinator
of Music Education at the
University of South
Florida School of Music
in Tampa, Florida.
